JP2011028552A - Program creation support device, program creation support method and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a program creation support device, a program creation support method and a computer program capable of reducing the labor of the creator of a control program, and for efficiently supporting the creator to create the control program. <P>SOLUTION: The program creation support device is configured of an extended unit and CPU unit, connected to controlled equipment and supports the creation of a control program to be executed by a programmable controller for sequentially controlling the operation of the controlled equipment. The program creation support device is provided with an instruction word storage section for storing an instruction word to be used by a control program; and a relevant information storage section for storing the relevant information related with the instruction word in association with the instruction word which is separately installed, and the program creation support device is configured to accept the input of a character string and to retrieve the instruction word storage section or the relevant information storage section as the object of retrieval, according to the sequence of the character string whose input has been accepted, and to accept the selection of the instruction word or relevant information from the result of the retrieval. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a program creation support apparatus, a program creation support method, and a computer program that support creation of a control program that operates with a programmable controller that realizes various functions by connecting a plurality of controlled devices.

  Conventionally, I / O units that extend I / O devices, communication units that add communication functions, positioning units that control the positioning of devices to be controlled, and expansion units such as temperature control units that adjust temperature 2. Description of the Related Art A programmable controller that controls the operation of an expansion unit using a control program is widely used. As functions diversify, control programs for controlling the operation of each expansion unit have become larger and more complex year by year, and the amount of information handled by creators of control programs has also increased year by year. Therefore, when the control program coding work is performed, the knowledge that the control program creator should have, the ability to possess, etc. have become more advanced, and the coding work depends on the control program creator. This alone is inefficient, and the burden on the creator of the control program is excessive.

  Therefore, as a method for assisting the coding work of the control program, not only the provision of a manual but also a method of displaying an explanatory text for the input program code on the screen according to the coded content is often used. For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a character string to be coded (command word, etc.) is specified by designating a label, a device, etc., and searching a past program code input history, a predetermined database, etc. A way to search is also considered.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-083206

  However, simply expanding the search target as in Patent Document 1 described above increases the flexibility of search processing, but the search time increases due to the expansion of the search target, making it difficult to narrow down the search results. There is a problem that it may become an obstacle to smooth coding work for the creator of the control program.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances. A program creation support apparatus, a program creation support method, and a computer capable of reducing the burden on the creator of the control program and efficiently supporting the creation of the control program. The purpose is to provide a program.

  In order to achieve the above object, a program creation support apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises an expansion unit and a CPU unit connected to a controlled device, and a programmable controller that sequentially controls the operation of the controlled device. In a program creation support apparatus that supports creation of a control program to be executed, a command word storage unit that stores a command word used in the control program, and related information that stores related information related to the command word in association with the command word Search for the command word storage unit or the related information storage unit as a search target according to the order of the character string that received the input, the input reception unit that receives the input of the character string, and the storage unit that has the storage unit separately And a selection acceptor that accepts selection of the command word or the related information from a search result of the search means. Characterized in that it comprises and.

  Further, in the program creation support apparatus according to the second invention, in the first invention, the storage means includes the command word storage unit or the related information storage unit for each type of the extension unit, and the extension unit Designation receiving means for accepting designation of the type of the command, and the search means retrieves the command word storage unit or the related information storage unit corresponding to the type of the extension unit that has received the designation as a search target. It is characterized by that.

  The program creation support apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the program creation support apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the search means uses the command word searched when the command word storage unit is a search target as the key information, and the related information The storage unit is searched.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program creation support device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the instruction word is stored in the extension unit connected to the controlled device and is specific to the extension unit. And information copying means for copying and storing the related information in the CPU unit, and copying the instruction word and related information stored in the expansion unit to the CPU unit according to the character string received. Search target selection means for selecting either the stored instruction word or related information as a search target is provided.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program creation support apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, a usage rate calculating means for calculating a usage rate of an instruction word used in the control program, and a calculated usage rate. And classifying means for classifying search results based on the search results.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program creation support apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the invention, further comprising history information storage means for storing the input character string as history information, wherein the classification means stores the stored history information. It is characterized by prioritizing classification.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the program creation support device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the input interval detecting means detects an interval for accepting input of a character string, and the detected interval exceeds a predetermined time. Input interval determining means for determining whether or not the input interval determining means determines that a predetermined time has been exceeded, and the search means starts searching.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the program creation support apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the search means performs partial match search or fuzzy search.

  Next, in order to achieve the above object, a program creation support method according to the ninth aspect of the present invention comprises an extension unit and a CPU unit connected to a controlled device, and sequentially controls the operation of the controlled device. In a program creation support method that can be executed by a program creation support apparatus that supports creation of a control program executed in a programmable controller, the program creation support apparatus corresponds to an instruction word used in a control program, and the instruction word The related information related to the attached instruction word is stored separately, the input of the character string is accepted, and the instruction word or the related information is searched as a search target according to the order of the character string received the input, and the search The selection of the command word or the related information is received from the result.

  Next, in order to achieve the above object, a computer program according to a tenth aspect of the present invention comprises an expansion unit and a CPU unit connected to a controlled device, and a programmable controller that sequentially controls the operation of the controlled device. In a computer program that can be executed by a program creation support apparatus that supports creation of a control program executed in the program, the program creation support apparatus includes an instruction word storage unit that stores an instruction word used in the control program, and an instruction word And a related information storage unit that stores the related information related to the instruction word in association with the command word, and the program creation support device includes an input receiving unit that receives an input of a character string, and a character that has received the input Depending on the order of the columns, the instruction word storage unit or the related information storage unit is a search target. Retrieval means for retrieving Te, and characterized in that to function as selection receiving means from the search results for the search unit receives a selection of the command or the related information.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the computer program according to the tenth aspect, the storage means includes the instruction word storage unit or the related information storage unit for each type of the extension unit, and the program creation support device Functioning as a designation accepting unit that accepts designation of the type of the extension unit, and the search unit uses the command word storage unit or the related information storage unit corresponding to the type of the extension unit that has accepted the designation as a search target. It functions as a means for searching.

  The computer program according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention is the computer program according to the tenth or eleventh aspect, wherein the search means uses the instruction word searched when the instruction word storage unit is a search target as key information, and the related information storage unit It is made to function as a means to search.

  A computer program according to a thirteenth invention is the extension unit according to any one of the tenth to twelfth inventions, wherein the program creation support device is stored in the extension unit connected to the controlled device. The instruction word and the related information unique to the information unit for copying and storing the CPU unit in the CPU unit, and the instruction word and the related information stored in the expansion unit according to the character string received the input, It is made to function as a search object selection means for selecting either a command word and related information copied and stored in the CPU unit as a search object.

  A computer program according to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention is the computer program product according to any one of the tenth to thirteenth aspects, wherein the program creation support device calculates a usage rate calculation means for calculating a usage rate of an instruction word used in the control program, And a function of classifying search results based on the calculated usage rate.

  A computer program according to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention is the computer program according to any one of the tenth to fourteenth aspects, wherein the program creation support apparatus is configured to detect an input interval detecting unit that detects an interval for receiving an input of a character string. An input interval judging means for judging whether or not a predetermined time has been exceeded, and when the input interval judging means judges that the predetermined time has been exceeded, the search means functions as a means for starting a search.

  In the first invention, the ninth invention, and the tenth invention, the instruction word used in the control program and the related information related to the instruction word associated with the instruction word are stored separately. A character string input is received during coding of the control program, a command word or related information is searched as a search target according to the order of the character string received, and a command word or related information is selected from the search result. As a result, among the character strings accepted, for example, the first character string is searched for a candidate character string with the command word as a search target, and the command string argument and grammar information are searched for the second and subsequent character strings. Search for candidate character strings using the related information as search targets, and accept the selection of each command word or related information from the search result. The creator of the control program has the knowledge about the command word accurately. Even if not, it is possible to support the description of correct command words and related information according to correct grammar.

  In the second and eleventh inventions, the instruction word or the related information of the instruction word is stored for each type of the extension unit, and the specification of the type of the extension unit is accepted by accepting the specification of the type of the extension unit. The searched instruction word or related information is searched as a search target. As a result, for each type of extension unit that controls the operation of the controlled device connected to the programmable controller, the corresponding command word or related information can be searched, and the control program creator controls the extension unit. Even when the user does not have accurate knowledge about the command word, it is possible to support the description of the correct command word and related information according to the correct grammar.

  In the third and twelfth inventions, by searching related information using the searched instruction word as key information, the search time can be shortened and the search processing load can be reduced.

  In the fourth and thirteenth inventions, the instruction word and related information specific to the extension unit, which are stored in the extension unit connected to the controlled device, are copied and stored in the CPU unit. Either a command word and related information stored in the extension unit or a command word and related information copied and stored in the CPU unit is selected as a search target according to the character string received. As a result, depending on the function of the instruction word, the instruction word and related information stored in the expansion unit that controls the operation of the controlled device can be searched, or the instruction word copied and stored in the CPU unit. In addition, it is possible to select whether or not to search for related information, and the search process can be executed at higher speed.

  In the fifth invention and the fourteenth invention, the usage rate of the instruction word used in the control program is calculated, and the search results are classified based on the calculated usage rate. As a result, the search results can be displayed in order from the command words that are frequently used in the control program, and it is possible to support the creation of the control program according to the frequency of use of the command words of the control program creator. It becomes.

  In the sixth aspect of the invention, the character string that has received the input is stored as history information, and the stored history information is preferentially classified, so that the command word and related information used in the past can be obtained as a search result. It is possible to display with priority, and it is possible to support the creation of a control program in accordance with the usage status of the command word and related information of the creator of the control program.

  In the seventh and fifteenth inventions, an interval for accepting input of a character string is detected, and a search is started when the detected interval exceeds a certain time. As a result, it is possible to search when a certain time or more has elapsed after accepting the input of an instruction word, etc., and search at an appropriate timing when the creator of the control program is at a loss for the next character string to be input. By displaying the result, it becomes possible to support the creation of a control program in accordance with the creator's input process.

  In the eighth invention, by performing a partial match search or a fuzzy search, a reliable command can be obtained even if the input character string is an incorrect character string, or only a part of the character string is unclear. Words and related information can be displayed.

  According to the above configuration, for example, for the first character string, the candidate character string is searched for the command word as a search target, and the command string argument is used for the second and subsequent character strings. Search for candidate character strings using related information such as grammatical information as a search target, and accept selection of each command word or related information from the search results. Even if it does not have, it is possible to support writing the correct command word and related information according to the correct grammar.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the programmable controller used as the creation assistance object of a control program by the program creation assistance apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure at the time of comprising the program creation assistance apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention using control parts, such as CPU. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function of the program creation assistance apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is an illustration figure of the character string which receives an input. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the input interval judgment process of the program creation assistance apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is an illustration figure which shows the relationship between the kind of extension unit of the program creation assistance apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention, and the search object file corresponded to an instruction word memory | storage part. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the candidate character string selection process of the program creation assistance apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is an illustration figure of the screen on which the candidate character string searched using the instruction word as key information in the control program of the ladder format was displayed. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the classification process based on the utilization rate of the candidate character string of the control part of the program creation assistance apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is an illustration figure of the screen on which the candidate character string searched using related information as key information was displayed in the control program of the ladder format. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function of the program creation assistance apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the copy process of the command word memory | storage part and related information memory | storage part which concern on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

  Hereinafter, a program creation support apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a programmable controller that is a support for creating a control program by the program creation support apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the programmable controller 1 includes a CPU unit 2 and a plurality of expansion units 3, 3,. Are connected to controlled devices 5, 5,... To be controlled for each function, and each controlled device 5 is controlled according to a command from the CPU unit 2. To control the operation.

  The CPU unit 2 includes a CPU that sends commands to the connected expansion units 3a, 3b,... According to a control program stored in the built-in memory 21. Further, the expansion units 3a, 3b,... Control the operation of the connected controlled devices 5, 5,. The parameter information for controlling the operation of the controlled devices 5, 5,... Is stored in the memories 31a, 31b,.

  The program creation support apparatus 4 is connected so as to be able to perform data communication with the CPU unit 2, and transmits the created control program to the CPU unit 2. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration when the program creation support apparatus 4 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is configured using a control unit such as a CPU.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the program creation support apparatus 4 according to the first embodiment includes at least a control unit (CPU) 41, a memory 42, a storage device 43 such as a hard disk, an I / O interface 44, a video interface 45, and a communication interface. 46, a portable disk drive 47, and an internal bus 48 for connecting the hardware described above.

  The control unit 41 is connected to each hardware unit as described above of the program creation support apparatus 4 via the internal bus 48, and controls the operation of each hardware unit described above and stores it in the storage device 43. Various software functions are executed according to the computer program 100. The memory 42 is composed of a volatile memory such as SRAM or SDRAM, and a load module is expanded when the computer program 100 is executed, and stores temporary data generated when the computer program 100 is executed.

  The storage device 43 includes a built-in fixed storage device (hard disk), a ROM, and the like. The computer program 100 stored in the storage device 43 is downloaded by a portable disk drive 47 from a portable recording medium 90 such as a DVD or CD-ROM in which information such as programs and data is recorded. To the memory 42 and executed. Of course, a computer program downloaded from an external computer connected to the network via the communication interface 46 may be used.

  The storage device 43 includes an instruction word storage unit 431 and a related information storage unit 432. The command word storage unit 431 displays command words (commands) for instructing operations of the controlled devices 5, 5,... Connected to the expansion units 3 a, 3 b,. Are associated with the expansion units 3a, 3b,. Therefore, it is possible to extract a command word as a selection candidate by searching the command word storage unit 431 using the character string received as input when creating the control program as key information.

  The related information storage unit 432 stores related information related to the command word in association with the command word. The related information to be stored is, for example, all the related information necessary to make the instruction word function, such as information on the grammar of the instruction word, information on the syntax, information on the argument, etc. corresponding to the instruction word. The history information storage unit 433 stores the history of the character string received by the input receiving unit described later as history information.

  The I / O interface 44 is connected to input devices such as a keyboard 441 and a mouse 442 and receives data input. The video interface 45 is connected to a display device 451 such as a CRT monitor or LCD, and displays a predetermined image.

  The communication interface 46 is connected to an internal bus 48, and is connected to an external network such as the Internet, a LAN, or a WAN, so that data can be transmitted / received to / from an external computer or the like. In addition, data can be transmitted / received to / from the CPU unit 2 via a communication line.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing functions of the program creation support apparatus 4 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 3, an input receiving unit 301 receives input of a source code of a control program including an instruction word using an input device such as a keyboard 441 and a mouse 442. FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram of a character string that accepts input.

  In the first embodiment, input of a character string is accepted in the character string input area 401 of the display device 451. In the first embodiment, the control program is a so-called ladder format program, and the first character string is an instruction word. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the input of one character string “COMMAND” is received in the character string input area 401, the control unit 41 of the program creation support device 4 determines that the character string “COMMAND” is an instruction word. It is determined that it is a character string.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, when a plurality of character strings “COMMAND A1 A2...” Are received in the character string input area 401, the control unit 41 of the program creation support device 4 is blank ( The presence of a space) is detected, and it is determined that the character string “COMMAND” up to the first blank is a character string related to the instruction word. Further, by sequentially specifying character strings such as a second character string “A1”, a third character string “A2”,... By a blank, each character string is a character string related to instruction word related information. It can be judged sequentially.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the input position determination unit 311 detects the presence of a blank in the character string that has been input, and determines the position from what character to what character each character string is. To do. Then, the character string determination unit 312 determines which command word and which related information the character string at each position is, so that the character string related to the determined command word and the character string related to the related information are respectively sent to the command string. It can be used as key information for referring to the word storage unit 431 and the related information storage unit 432.

  Of course, it is not limited to the method of determining the position of the character string by detecting the presence of a blank, but can be changed according to the grammar of the instruction word. For example, as shown in FIG. 4C, when the input of the character string “COMMAND (A1, A2,...)” Is received in the character string input area 401, the control unit 41 of the program creation support device 4 The position of the character string is determined by detecting a comma within the range enclosed in parentheses after detecting.

  Further, whether or not acceptance of input of a character string has ended may be determined at an interval of accepting input. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of input interval determination processing of the program creation support apparatus 4 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 41 of the program creation support apparatus 4 starts monitoring the key-in operation of the keyboard 441 (step S501). The control unit 41 detects the start of the key-in operation (step S502), and simultaneously starts time measurement using a built-in timer or the like (step S503).

  The control unit 41 determines whether or not a certain time has elapsed (step S504). If the control unit 41 determines that the certain time has not elapsed (step S504: NO), the control unit 41 performs a new key-in. It is determined whether an operation has been detected (step S505). When the control unit 41 determines that a new key-in operation has been detected (step S505: YES), the control unit 41 determines that the key-in operation continues and resets the time measurement (timer resets to zero) ( In step S506), the process returns to step S504.

  When the control unit 41 determines that a new key-in operation has not been detected (step S505: NO), the control unit 41 returns the process to step S504. When the control unit 41 determines that a certain time has elapsed (step S504: YES), the control unit 41 detects the end of the key-in operation (step S507). That is, in the functional block diagram of FIG. 3, as an input interval detector 313 that detects an interval from the start to the end of a key-in operation, and an input interval determiner 314 that determines whether or not the detected interval exceeds a certain time. Function.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the search unit 302 first searches the command word storage unit 431 using the command word as key information for the input character string, extracts a command word as a selection candidate, and displays the command word on the display device 451. To do. In the first embodiment, since the first character string is an instruction word, the instruction word storage unit 431 is searched using the first character string as key information. The search in the instruction word storage unit 431 may be a complete match search, but is not particularly limited to this, and needless to say, it may be a fuzzy search or a partial match search.

  Next, the related information storage unit 432 is searched using the next character string of the command word as key information, and related information that is a selection candidate is extracted and displayed on the display device 451. In the first embodiment, since the first character string is an instruction word, the related information storage unit 432 is searched when the second and subsequent character strings are used as key information. The search in the related information storage unit 432 may be a complete match search, but is not particularly limited to this, and needless to say, it may be a fuzzy search or a partial match search.

  The type of instruction word is specified for each type of controlled device 5, that is, for each type of extension unit 3 connected to the CPU unit 2. Therefore, a plurality of command word storage units 431, 431,... And a related information storage unit 432 are separately associated with the type of the controlled device 5, that is, the type of the expansion unit 3 that controls the operation of the controlled device 5. 432,... Can be narrowed down in advance and the search processing load can be reduced.

  For example, a designation accepting unit 306 is provided separately, and designation of the type of the extension unit 3 whose operation is controlled by the control program is accepted. Of course, the designation of the type of the controlled device 5 for which the expansion unit 3 directly controls the operation may be accepted. The search unit 302 extracts the command word storage unit 431 or the related information storage unit 432 to be searched according to the type of the extension unit 3 that has received the designation. The search unit 302 searches the extracted instruction word storage unit 431 or the related information storage unit 432 as a search target.

  FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram showing the relationship between the type of the extension unit 3 of the program creation support apparatus 4 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention and the search target file corresponding to the command word storage unit 431. As shown in FIG. 6, the type of extension unit 3 and the extension unit ID are stored in association with each other, and a search target file to be searched for is stored in association with each extension unit ID. By adopting such a data structure, the search target file can be specified when the designation of the type of the expansion unit 3 is received. Of course, when the expansion unit 3 is newly connected to the CPU unit 2, it is needless to say that the CPU unit 2 may automatically confirm the system configuration and automatically acquire information on the type of the expansion unit 3. . In this case, it is possible to specify the search target file without accepting designation of the type of the expansion unit 3.

  In addition, when the instruction word storage unit 431 is a search target, it is preferable to search the related information storage unit 432 using the searched instruction word as key information. This is because only relevant information corresponding to the command word extracted as a selection candidate can be searched.

  The selection receiving unit 303 receives selection of a command word or related information from a candidate character string that is a search result. Thereby, even when the creation of the control program is started depending on ambiguous memory, the candidate character string to be originally coded can be reliably displayed and selected.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure of candidate character string selection processing of the program creation support apparatus 4 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 41 of the program creation support apparatus 4 accepts input of a character string (step S701), and categorizes the accepted character string into an instruction word and other related information (step S701). S702). The method for classifying both is the same as the method illustrated in FIG.

  The related information includes, for example, an instruction word corresponding to the instruction word, an explanatory statement describing the grammar and the like, a comment given to a device, a variable, etc. by the creator of the control program, memory space information of the expansion unit 3, These are instruction words unique to the expansion unit 3 and their explanations, information on constants having a specific meaning on the control program (magic numbers), and the like. Therefore, even if the creator of the control program is not familiar with the grammar of the ladder program, the correct candidate character string can be selected by displaying the reliable candidate character string.

  The control unit 41 searches the command word storage unit 431 using the command word as key information and searches for a search target, and extracts a candidate character string (step S703). FIG. 8 is a view showing an example of a screen on which a candidate character string searched using a command word as key information in a ladder-type control program is displayed. In the example of FIG. 8, a candidate character string of an instruction word to be used in the control program is displayed by a pull-down menu 82 with respect to the character string “buffer” received in the character string input area 81. The creator of the control program can easily select a command word according to the work he / she desires.

  Returning to FIG. 7, the control unit 41 of the program creation support apparatus 4 classifies (sorts) the extracted candidate character strings according to a predetermined rule (step S704), and accepts selection of candidate character strings (step S705). The rules for classifying candidate strings are not particularly limited, but ranking is performed based on the degree of relevance to a specific command word, half-width / full-width, uppercase / lowercase, etc. It is sufficient to display it.

  Further, ranking may be executed based on the number of times of use, the frequency of use, etc. in the control program being created. That is, the usage rate calculation unit 304 of FIG. 3 calculates the usage rate of a command word or related information used in the control program, and the classification unit 305 uses the calculated usage rate as a search result candidate character string. Are classified and displayed in descending order of usage rate.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the classification process based on the usage rate of the candidate character string of the control unit 41 of the program creation support apparatus 4 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 9, the control unit 41 of the program creation support apparatus 4 calculates the usage rate in the control program for each candidate character string (step S901). The usage rate calculation method is not particularly limited. For example, for each candidate character string, a value obtained by multiplying the number of times of use of the candidate character string by the number of words of the candidate character string is obtained and divided by the number of words of the control program. To calculate the usage rate.

  The control unit 41 classifies the candidate character strings in descending order of the calculated usage rate (step S902) and displays them on the display device 451.

  Further, history information regarding character strings that have been accepted in the past may be taken into consideration for classification of candidate character strings. This is because the same control program is likely to be used by the same control program creator. In this case, for example, in the input receiving unit 301 shown in FIG. 3, the history of the character string received as input is stored as history information in the history information storage unit 433, and the classification unit 305 stores the stored history information. You should classify with priority.

  Returning to FIG. 7, the control unit 41 of the program creation support device 4 determines whether or not the character string is confirmed (step S706). That is, it is determined whether selection of candidate character strings has been accepted for all character strings. When the control unit 41 determines that the character string is not fixed (step S706: NO), the control unit 41 searches the related information storage unit 432 as the search target using the related information as key information, and selects a candidate character string. Extract (step S707).

  FIG. 10 is a view showing an example of a screen on which a candidate character string searched using related information as key information in a ladder-type control program is displayed. In the example of FIG. 10, a candidate character string to be used as a device is displayed in the pull-down menu 102 for the character string “positioning” accepted in the character string input area 101. The creator of the control program can easily select a device corresponding to the coding work.

  Returning to FIG. 7, the control unit 41 of the program creation support apparatus 4 classifies (sorts) the extracted candidate character strings according to a predetermined rule (step S708), and accepts selection of candidate character strings (step S709). The process returns to step S706. The rules for classifying candidate strings are not particularly limited, but ranking is performed based on the degree of relevance to a specific command word, half-width / full-width, uppercase / lowercase, etc. It is sufficient to display it. Further, ranking may be executed based on the number of times of use, the frequency of use, etc. in the control program being created.

  When the control unit 41 determines that the character string is confirmed (step S706: YES), that is, when it is determined that the program code of the control program is confirmed, the confirmed character string is stored in the storage unit 43 as the program code. (Step S710), coding of the next command is continued.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, among the character strings that have been accepted, for example, for the first character string, the candidate character string is searched for the command word as a search target, and the second and subsequent character strings are searched. Can search for candidate character strings by searching for related information such as command word arguments and grammar information, and accept selections respectively, and the creator of the control program does not have accurate knowledge of the command word Even so, it is possible to support writing the correct command word and related information according to the correct grammar.

  In Embodiment 1 described above, the storage device 43 of the program creation support apparatus 4 includes the command word storage unit 431 and the related information storage unit 432. However, the command word storage unit 431 and the related information storage unit 432 include As long as the control part 41 of the program creation assistance apparatus 4 can search via a network etc., it may be provided anywhere. For example, it may be provided in the memory 21 built in the CPU unit 2 for storing the created control program, or may be provided in the memories 31a, 31b,... Built in the expansion units 3a, 3b,. .

(Embodiment 2)
Since the configuration of the programmable controller 1 and the configuration of the program creation support device 4 that are targets of the creation support of the control program by the program creation support device 4 according to the second embodiment of the present invention are the same as those in the first embodiment. Detailed description will be omitted by attaching the same reference numerals. In the second embodiment, the instruction word and the related information are stored in the extension unit 3 and the CPU unit 2 that control the operation of the controlled device 5, respectively, and the stored instruction word and the related information are searched. It differs from the first embodiment in that it is selected as a target.

  FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing functions of the program creation support apparatus 4 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In FIG. 11, functional blocks having the same functions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the program creation support device 4 according to the second embodiment of the present invention does not include the command word storage unit 431 and the related information storage unit 432 in the storage device 43 but configures the programmable controller 1. Instruction words and related information are stored in the memory 21 of the CPU unit 2 and the memories 31a, 31b,... Of the expansion units 3a, 3b,. That is, the memory 21 of the CPU unit 2 stores instruction words (commands) for instructing operations of the controlled devices 5, 5,... Connected to the expansion units 3a, 3b,. A storage unit 22 and a related information storage unit 23 storing related information related to the instruction word are provided. Similarly, the memories 31a, 31b, ... of the extension units 3a, 3b, ... operate the controlled devices 5, 5, ... connected to the extension units 3a, 3b, ..., respectively. Instruction word storage units 32a, 32b,... That store instruction words (commands) that indicate the command and related information storage units 33a, 33b,. I have.

  The information copying unit 1101 copies a command word and related information specific to the expansion unit 3 to the CPU unit 2 when the expansion units 3, 3,... Are newly connected to the CPU unit 2. Specifically, the instruction word storage units 32a, 32b,... Provided in the memories 31a, 31b,... Of the expansion units 3a, 3b,. The instruction words and related information stored in the storage units 33a, 33b,... Are copied to the instruction word storage unit 22 and the related information storage unit 23 of the memory 21 of the CPU unit 2, respectively.

  The search target selection unit 1102 of the input receiving unit 301 includes a command word storage unit 32a included in the memories 31a, 31b,... Of the expansion units 3a, 3b,. 32b,..., And related information storage units 33a, 33b,..., Or whether the instruction word storage unit 22 and the related information storage unit 23 of the memory 21 of the CPU unit 2 are to be searched. select. That is, depending on the instruction word, it is sufficient to search only the instruction word unique to the extension unit 3 and the related information, and the instruction word storage unit 22 and the related information storage unit 23 of the memory 21 of the CPU unit 2 are to be searched. , And the instruction word storage units 32a, 32b,... And the related information storage units 33a, 33b provided in the memories 31a, 31b,... Of the directly corresponding expansion units 3a, 3b,. By using the command word and related information stored in the item as a search target, the search processing load can be further reduced and the search response can be improved.

  FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a copy process of the instruction word storage unit 22 and the related information storage unit 23 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 12, when a plurality of extension units 3a, 3b,... Are connected to the CPU unit 2, the instruction word and related information stored in the memory 31a of the extension unit 3a, the extension unit 3b The instruction word and related information stored in the memory 31b are copied to the memory 21 of the CPU unit 2. Thus, the control unit 41 of the program creation support device 4 directly searches the memories 31a, 31b,... Of the expansion units 3a, 3b,. It is also possible to search the memory 21 of the CPU unit 2.

  For example, if the input character string is the instruction word “LD”, the control unit 41 searches the memory 21 of the CPU unit 2 because the instruction word “LD” is not an instruction word unique to the extension unit 3. Select as target. On the other hand, when the input character string is the instruction word “U_WRMD”, the instruction word “U_WRMD” is an instruction word unique to the extension unit 3, and thus the control unit 41 determines that the instruction word “U_WRMD” and the instruction word The memory unit 31a (31b) of the extension unit 3a (3b) in which the related information “U_WRMD” is stored is selected as a search target.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, the instruction word and related information stored in the extension unit 3 that controls the operation of the controlled device 5 are searched for according to the input character string. It is possible to select whether to search for instruction words and related information unique to the expansion unit 3 copied and stored in the CPU unit 2, and to search faster by reducing the search processing load. Is possible.

  The present invention is not limited to Embodiments 1 and 2 described above, and it goes without saying that various modifications and replacements are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, the instruction word and the related information are not limited to being stored in the storage device 43 of the program creation support device 4 and stored in the CPU unit 2, the expansion units 3, 3,. The instruction word and related information may be stored in a virtual disk on the network.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Programmable controller 2 CPU unit 3, 3a, 3b Expansion unit 4 Program creation assistance device 5 Controlled device 21, 31a, 31b Memory 41 Control part 42 Memory 43 Storage device 44 I / O interface 45 Video interface 46 Communication interface 47 Portable type Disk drive 431 Command word storage unit 432 Related information storage unit 433 History information storage unit

Claims (15)

In a program creation support device configured to include an expansion unit and a CPU unit connected to a controlled device, and supporting creation of a control program executed in a programmable controller that sequentially controls the operation of the controlled device.
An instruction word storage unit for storing instruction words used in the control program;
A storage means separately having a related information storage unit for storing related information related to the command word in association with the command word;
An input receiving means for receiving input of a character string;
Search means for searching the command word storage unit or the related information storage unit as a search target according to the order of the character strings received input,
And a selection receiving means for receiving a selection of the command word or the related information from a search result of the search means. The storage means includes the command word storage unit or the related information storage unit for each type of the extension unit,
Comprising designation accepting means for accepting designation of the type of the expansion unit;
2. The program creation according to claim 1, wherein the search means searches for the command word storage unit or the related information storage unit corresponding to the type of the extension unit that has received the designation as a search target. Support device.   3. The search unit according to claim 1, wherein the search unit searches the related information storage unit by using a command word searched when the command word storage unit is a search target as key information. 4. Program creation support device. Information copying means for storing a command word and related information specific to the expansion unit, stored in the expansion unit connected to the controlled device, and copied and stored in the CPU unit;
Depending on the input character string, either the instruction word and related information stored in the extension unit or the instruction word and related information copied and stored in the CPU unit is selected as a search target. The program creation support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising search target selection means for performing search. Usage rate calculating means for calculating a usage rate of an instruction word used in the control program;
The program creation support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a classifying unit that classifies search results based on the calculated usage rate. A history information storage means for storing the input character string as history information;
6. The program creation support apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the classification means classifies the stored history information with priority. An input interval detecting means for detecting an interval for accepting input of a character string;
Input interval determination means for determining whether or not the detected interval exceeds a certain time, and
7. The program creation support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the input interval determination unit determines that a predetermined time has been exceeded, the search unit starts a search.   The program creation support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the search unit performs a partial match search or a fuzzy search. It is composed of an extension unit and a CPU unit connected to a controlled device, and is executed by a program creation support device that supports creation of a control program executed in a programmable controller that sequentially controls the operation of the controlled device. In a program creation support method capable of
The program creation support device includes:
Separately storing an instruction word used in the control program and related information related to the instruction word associated with the instruction word;
Accepts input of strings,
According to the order of the character string received input, search the instruction word or the related information as a search target,
A program creation support method, wherein selection of the command word or the related information is received from a search result. It is composed of an expansion unit and a CPU unit connected to a controlled device, and is executed by a program creation support device that supports creation of a control program executed in a programmable controller that sequentially controls the operation of the controlled device. In computer programs that can
The program creation support device includes:
An instruction word storage unit for storing instruction words used in the control program;
A related information storage unit for storing related information related to the command word in association with the command word;
The program creation support device,
Input accepting means for accepting input of a character string;
Search means for searching the command word storage unit or the related information storage unit as a search target according to the order of the character strings received, and selection of the command word or the related information from the search result of the search means A computer program that functions as a selection receiving means for receiving a message. The storage means includes the command word storage unit or the related information storage unit for each type of the extension unit,
The program creation support device,
Function as a designation accepting means for accepting designation of the type of the expansion unit;
11. The computer program according to claim 10, wherein the computer program causes the search unit to function as a search unit for searching the command word storage unit or the related information storage unit corresponding to the type of the extension unit that has received the designation. .   12. The search means according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the search means functions as means for searching the related information storage section using the searched instruction word as key information when the instruction word storage section is a search target. Computer program. The program creation support device,
Information copying means for copying the instruction word and related information unique to the extension unit stored in the extension unit connected to the controlled device to the CPU unit and storing them in the character string that has received the input Correspondingly, it functions as a search target selection means for selecting either a command word and related information stored in the extension unit or a command word and related information copied and stored in the CPU unit as a search target. The computer program according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the computer program is executed. The program creation support device,
The function according to any one of claims 10 to 13, which functions as a usage rate calculation unit that calculates a usage rate of an instruction word used in the control program, and a classification unit that classifies a search result based on the calculated usage rate. The computer program according to one item. The program creation support device,
Input interval detection means for detecting an interval for accepting input of a character string;
An input interval judging means for judging whether or not the detected interval exceeds a certain time, and when the input interval judging means judges that the certain time has passed, the searching means functions as a means for starting a search. The computer program according to any one of claims 10 to 14.

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